Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications may refer to technologies that allow devices to communicate with one another over wired or wireless networks. An M2M device may include a sensor, meter, or other device that captures an “event” (temperature, inventory level, etc.), which is relayed through a network (wireless, wired or hybrid) to an application that translates the captured event into meaningful information (e.g., items need to be restocked).
M2Mapplications are commonly deployed using wireless systems such as the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) or Long Term Evolution (LTE). M2M devices using UMTS/LTE for machine communication can be found in a number of economic sectors, such as security, product tracking, health care, and remote monitoring and diagnostics.
M2M devices typically generate relatively little data. For example, a M2M device that is used to monitor a vending machine may transmit once daily status updates, of only a few kilobytes of data, to a server. As a result, service providers for M2M devices may bill the M2M operator based on the assumption that the M2M device will use relatively little network bandwidth. Sometimes, however, a M2M device may malfunction or be compromised by a malicious party, causing the M2M device to use a larger share of the network resources. For example, the M2M device may go bad and start jamming the radio interface or generate too many network signaling messages.